1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a circuit board which is coupled to a local area network peripheral (e.g. a printer) and which allows the peripheral to be an intelligent, interactive network member eliminating the necessity of dedicating a personal computer to manage the peripheral. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for remotely altering programmable firmware stored in an electronically erasable read-only memory (EPROM) on an interactive network board coupled to a peripheral device.
2. Related Art
Local Area Networks ("LANs") are known for coupling together a plurality of personal computers with peripheral devices such as printers, copiers, etc., to provide for enhanced communication and shared resources. Heretofore, peripherals such as printers coupled to a LAN were rather unintelligent, merely accepting information from the LAN and printing such information on a hard copy. Moreover, such printers usually required a host personal computer ("PC") to effectively manage the flow of data to the printer, i.e., to act as a "server" for the printer. This almost always required that the host PC be dedicated solely to the printer server task.
A number of products have recently appeared which ostensibly eliminate the need for such a dedicated PC by incorporating hardware and software into a circuit board which may be coupled into the peripheral in order to perform limited server functions. For example, ASP Computer Products, Inc. provides a device known as "JetLAN/P" which acts as a stand-alone print server for Novell networks. The JetLAN/P.RTM. device couples to a LAN using a 10Base-2 thin coaxial cable or a 10Base-T twisted-pair cable. However, the JetLAN/P.RTM. couples to the printer only through the printer's parallel port. Thus, while print information can be sent to the printer, the amount of printer status information which can be returned from the printer is severely restricted. For example, such a device may obtain "off-line" and "out of paper" status from the printer, but little else. Such a device does very little toward making the printer a truly intelligent, responsive member of the network.
Other known devices for coupling a printer to a LAN include the Hewlett-Packard Jet Direct.RTM. C2071A/B and C2059A, the Extended Systems EtherFlex.RTM., the Intel NetPort.RTM. and NetPort II.RTM., the Castelle LANPress.RTM. and JetPress.RTM., and the MiLAN FastPort.RTM.. However, all of these devices suffer from the same disadvantages as the ASP JetLAN in that they do not allow the printer to transmit sufficient amounts of data to the LAN to enable the printer to be an effective and intelligent member of the network.
Conventionally, a manufacturer formats and stores executable programs into programmable memories within computers and peripheral devices therefor. These executable programs generally are unalterable by the customer. Therefore, in the case the device requires an updated version of an executable program or if it is determined that the executable file does not operate properly and the device requires servicing for the program, the executable program within the computer or the peripheral device must be altered either at the site of manufacture or at the site of the customer by a manufacturer's representative in order to have this function performed. For example, conventional printers store executable programs in ROM. These executable programs, which affect the manner in which an image is to be formed, are unalterable by the customer. Thus, if it is determined, after the product has been shipped to the customer, that there is a problem in the executable software, the manufacturer either has to recall the printer or must send a service representative out to the location of the printer at which point either an update of the software program or a new pre-programmed chip is installed.
Heretofore, it has not been possible to remotely alter the executable files within a network peripheral device through a local area network from a remote LAN device. That is, a computer or a peripheral device could not be accessed through the LAN in order to alter or add additional executable files, and in addition, to receive remote commands through the LAN to execute the altered executable files or newly added files. Consequently, software updates and added executable files must be performed by the manufacturer or at the customer's site by a service representative which is not only untimely, but expensive.